School board OKs plans for mobile classrooms

By the time classes start in August, two more mobile classrooms will deck the horizon of Tonganoxie Elementary School.

Monday night, board members accepted a $16,000 bid from Valley Moving to move two prefabricated buildings from De Soto to Tonganoxie. The district purchased the buildings for $1,000 each from the De Soto school district.

"I want to make sure that we're ready this year for some more increased enrollment," superintendent Richard Erickson told board members Monday night. "The most cost-effective way to provide these classrooms would be these modular units."

The wooden buildings, which are about 14 years old, "will take care of our need for expansion," Erickson said.

TES principal Jerry Daskoski said the art classroom, which last fall was moved from one of the school's two modular classrooms onto a cart to make way for an additional third-grade class, will be moved into one of the new units.

And, at least for now, the school plans to place the gifted-student program in the other unit.

But Daskoski said if the school sees a large influx of new students $3.8 million and $3.9 million. That's still a substantial way from the city's $3.2 million construction estimate.

"There was not enough savings realized," Krull said.

He suggested the city again seek bids for the plant -- later this year or early next year.

The Kansas Department of Housing and Environment did not renew the operating license for the aging facility on Dec. 31, 2001, but Krull said the city isn't in danger of incurring fines.

"But if you ignore them, they could find ways of making you notice them." Krull said about the KDHE.

When bids were first taken in mid-March, President Bush had just given his 48-hour ultimatum to Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

The city will seek bids later this year or early next year. Because spring and summer are the busiest seasons for construction, Krull said contractors would be more apt to seek new projects during the winter.

"Right now, people don't need work," Krull said.

If a satisfactory bid isn't received, the city will consult the KDHE about its next option.

In the meantime, the city must tend to its existing plant. The spiral lift pump, which takes wastewater inflow and lifts it into the treatment facility, must be repaired. An original estimate of nearly $5,780 increased to $8,440 after more infrastructure problems were found.

And in another pressing matter, a meeting is set for Thursday night to discuss an agreement to obtain additional water for the city of Tonganoxie and Rural Water Districts 6 and 9.

The city and the rural districts make up Wholesale Water District 6, which hopes to contract with Bonner Springs to provide 1,000 more gallons a minute. However, an engineer from Rural Water District 9 is concerned about whether pipes could supply the increased water with 45 pounds per square inch of pressure.

So the wholesale district and Gary Saunders, water superintendent for Bonner Springs, will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at Council Chambers, 321 Delaware.